March 13, 2008

Old and Busted: Creationism. New Hotness: Divine Retribution.

After reading all the stories about the Westboro Baptist Church protesting military funerals, claiming that tolerance of gays has caused God to angrily kill our soldiers in Iraq, and remembering that some in the religious right blamed Hurricane Katrina on the wickedness of America in general (i.e., letting Ellen host the Oscars), and New Orleans in particular, I read a story last week about an Israeli MP blaming parliament's tolerance of gays for Israel's recent earthquakes. Shlomo Benizri, of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Shas Party, said the tremors had been caused by lawmaking that gave "legitimacy to sodomy."

Are these people crazy? Or should their views be taught in schools? Can divine retribution theory explain earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tornadoes, floods, insect swarms, water discoloration, drought, even global warming. Whether or not it is true, the basis for it is clear, and it is the same as the basis for creationism: the Bible says so; science has failed to disprove it; and everything seems to be getting worse all the time, just as worldwide tolerance of gays has spread, so there is evidence that could be interpreted as supporting it.

Creationism and divine retribution theory. Can you explain why a person should believe in one and not the other? If you believe that creationism should be taught in the schools, why shouldn't divine retribution theory also be taught in schools? I'd love to hear the explanation for why intelligent design should be taught in public schools, but divine retribution shouldn't be.